Controversy Over Flag Amendment

After reading your viewpoints on the flag burning issue (Commentary, June 18), a question came to mind that nobody seems to be addressing. How is such a law proposed to be enforced? What constitutes the burning of an American flag? If the Stars and Stripes are embroidered on a piece of clothing or on a cloth not used as a flag is destroying this still desecration? How about those tiny little flags we wave at parades, are we allowed to throw them away? Can we stomp up and down on a flag but not actually destroy it? What about burning flag replicas that have only 49 stars and 12 stripes?

The point I’m trying to make is that creating a constitutional amendment to protect the destruction of a particularly designed and colored piece of cloth is ludicrous. Any such amendment would only cause more acts of American symbol desecration that do not fall under the exact letter of the amendment. Then more amendments would be needed to counter these acts, and soon Americans will have to watch every step they take so they don’t accidentally desecrate a symbol.

There can be no middle ground. Either we have freedom of expression in America or we don’t. Any attempt to compromise this freedom is tantamount to canceling it.

MARK KARMELICH

Redondo Beach